A horror version of Superman? Watch the trailer from Guardians Of The Galaxy director's new superhero film

Admit it, there’s something a tad scary about Superman, an alien who can basically destroy worlds if his moral compass went haywire (just ask Batman).

So what if a do-gooder like the Man of Steel was, instead, evil?

A new ‘superhero horror’ film from Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn seems to explore this premise, with the new trailer for Brightburn seemingly taking a leaf from the origins story of Superman – but with a dark twist.

The trailer for the Sony movie, which was revealed this weekend at Brazil’s Comic-Con Experience, features a couple (played by Elizabeth Banks and David Denman) discovering an alien baby and adopting it – later growing up to be basically be Damien with superstrength.

“What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister,” the film’s official synopsis asks.

Brightburn is set to open in May 2019. Gunn – who was famous kicked out of the third Guardians film by Disney and is now working on a Suicide Squad sequel –  is producing the project directed by The Hive filmmaker David Yarovesky. The script is written by Gunn’s brother Brian and cousin Mark.

While Brightburn isn’t technically about Superman, toying with the latter’s origin story with “what if” plots isn’t a new thing, especially in comics. In 2003, Kick-Ass and Kingsman: The Secret Service creator Mark Millar wrote Superman: Red Son, where instead of landing in America, he crashed in Ukraine and became the Soviet Union’s secret weapon during the Cold War.